From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
The Diocese of Oji River, Anglican Communion, has initiated medical outreach as part of its missionary work within its enclave.
The Diocese is fitting into the gap created by dearth of functional hospitals with modern medical facilities to attend to the health challenges- of the rural dwellers,through out Oji River local government area and other communities that are in the diocese.
Under the directives of the Bishop of Oji River Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt Rev .Dr. Ikechukwu Egbuonu, volunteer medical personnel from Oji River Mission Specialist Hospital, have embarked on free medical outreach to churches in the diocese every Sunday.
The medical team gives free lecture on how to prevent some diseases and Ilness such as high blood pressure and diabetes. The pertinent need to go for medical checks instead of relying on self medication from nearby medicine stores.
The team visited St Andrews Anglican.Church and St.James Anglican Church,both in Ahani-Achi last Sunday. They gave drugs to the rural dwellers who turned up irrespective of denomination,after running blood and sugar test on each of them.
Those with complicated ailments were advised to visit the Oji River Mission Specialist Hospital for detailed laboratory tests.
The medical team will visit some other. churches in Oji River Diocese next Sunday.
The Oji River Mission Specialist Hospital which still operates from Bishop Orris Walker Medical Center,also owned by the Diocese of Oji River, Anglican Communion,is currently equiped with sophisticated medical and laboratory equipment that can contain emergency situations, thereby curtailing the old and rigorous processes of rushing emergent patients to Enugu with it’s adverse implications.
Still, the Diocese of Oji River, Anglican Communion believes in the fact that prevention is better than cure. Thus,the reason for it’s on going medical out reach programme to all nooks and cranny of the diocese,for both Anglicans and non Anglicans.
The Diocese of Oji River, Anglican Communion, in its bid to curtail dearth hospitals with modern facilities and medical staff has been accredited to establish and run school of Nursing Sciences in the diocese.
The Bishop of the diocese, Rt. Rev.Dr. Ikecbukwu Egbuonu, has ensured that both the physical and medical facilities were readily available,which enabled it to excel through accreditation.
